Divvy Expands Into West Chicago, But There’s Still Work to be Done

Several weeks ago, Governor Pat Quinn confirmed a much called for expansion of the Divvy Bike program in Chicago. The city has invested $3 million into the public bicycle sharing program and by spring 2015, will add over 700 bikes and 30 docking stations in neighborhoods including Rogers Park, Garfield Park, and Austin, as well as the city of Evanston and the suburb of Oak Park.

The move comes after criticism that the program neglected Chicago’s west side neighborhoods, where many low income and minority residents live. According to WBEZ, the west side received altogether only two of 400 docking stations initially set up in 2013. This is despite the fact that studies have shown bike ridership among blacks and Latinos increasing all over the country.

“Divvy has been a tremendous success, but Chicago’s bike share system will be even better when more areas of the city are served,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a press release.

Divvy has been in Chicago since it was created by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2013 to reduce traffic congestion, promote physical fitness, and improve air quality by taking cars off the road, furthering the city’s environmentally friendly image. Though the website claims the bikes can be picked up and dropped off anywhere in the system, it’s designed mainly for short trips under 30 minutes. Users can either pay for membership online or buy a single ride pass for $7 at a station. Only debit and credit cards are accepted as payment.

While the expansion of the bike system is good, data shows that there’s still roadblocks for residents living in the west side. Specially, the absence of safe bike routes.

The data on this map, compiled from reports from the city of Chicago, shows that not only are divvy bikes missing from areas such as Austin and Lawndale, but so are designated bike paths. There’s no data available from the city on protected bike lanes, but activists have reported unsafe biking conditions in these areas.

While officials have addressed expanding bike paths on Lakeshore Drive, there appears to be no plans for adding bike paths or lanes in any west side neighborhoods.

When Barefoot is Better: Why One Student Shuns Shoes

#97937391 / gettyimages.com

As college students, we spend most of our days walking – to class, to our dorms, to the dining halls. Without cars to rely on, we spend a lot of time on our feet. That being said, we know the value of comfortable shoes. But for one Loyola sophomore, the most comfy pair is none at all.

19 year old Adam Kress has been walking barefoot everywhere for the past four years. He finds that shoes simply don’t feel right; they’re too tight and they make his feet sweaty. While Kress wore shoes for most of his life, he decided to stop in high school.

“I was normal for most of my life,” he said jokingly. “Then one day I just was like, ‘you know I’m not going to wear shoes anymore.’ And it just kept going and going and going and now I’m like this.”

Kress said that while he initially had a few minor cuts and infections, his feet have become so calloused that he can no longer feel rocks, pebbles, or even shards of glass on them. He prefers to walk barefoot even in the winter, but occasionally must put on a pair of flip flops to avoid frostbite.

There are no federal laws that prevent an individual from being barefoot in public, but many schools and other establishments, such as restaurants, have policies requiring shoes for sanitary reasons. Kress was not allowed to be barefoot inside his high school building, and last year, he was told by staff that he had to wear shoes in the dining halls. However, he says he has no problem putting on shoes when asked.

“If someone asks me to or I’m in someone’s house and they don’t like it, I will.” he said. “When I’m going to restaurants, I have to or they won’t let me in, so I bring a pair of flip flops in my backpack all the time.”

Kress’s roommate, sophomore Raj Patel, was confused when he first met Kress, but after talking for six hours one night last year, the two became friends.

“Before I met him face to face, that was the first thing I heard about him.” he said of Kress being barefoot. “I’d see him walking around, and I’d be like, ‘why is this guy barefoot, it’s cold outside.”

“I got used to it once I spent more time with him,” Patel said.

Kress said he doesn’t get too much trouble from others, but he does draw attention. Patel finds that even homeless people on the CTA are “baffled” by him, particularly when it’s cold outside.

Recently, Kress has started wearing barefoot running shoes while working out. The shoes are like individually toed socks and mimic the feeling of being barefoot. Many runners are now proponents of the shoes, and it has started a debate over whether barefoot motion is better for your feet. But Kress says he’ll continue doing what feels best for him, regardless of the hype.

5 Questions Answered About the New LL Express Shuttle Service

Courtesy of Loyola Limited

Students torn between dragging heavy luggage on the CTA and paying exorbitant cab fares to get to Midway and O’Hare airport finally have a university affiliated option to get home for the holidays. Loyola Limited rolled out its newest service: a charter bus shuttle for students during university holidays that can take them to either Midway or O’Hare airport for a flat rate of $20.

Loyola Limited is Loyola’s student run business enterprise. The group is responsible for many popular businesses around campus, such as bike rental shop Chain Links. With the slogan, “Cheaper than a Taxi, Faster than a Train,” the LL express allows students who have to take flights home to book seats online for an exclusive charter bus complete with luggage room to get to the airport. The service operates 1-2 days after break begins, with up to four trips per day. For Thanksgiving and Fall break this year, LL express is also offering return service to Loyola’s lakeshore campus the Sunday before classes start.

I spoke with Loyola Limited Chief Marketing Officer Alexandra Ofari-Atta, who is also a junior at Loyola, about the new service, how it came to be, and what the future looks like.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

How did the idea for this service originate?

The idea had been in the works since second semester of last school year. The idea was originally proposed by our former CEO Julie Wayner. It seemed like something that should have already existed on campus, and we saw it as a really cool opportunity to expand, so we moved forward with it.

The cost of a ride is 2o dollars. How did you partner with transportation companies to get the cost so low?

We researched charter bus companies to find ones that would give us the highest break even cost. Right now, we have two bus sizes, a 36 seater and a 56 seater, and to break even, we need to reach 40% to 50% capacity of that, which is an attainable goal.

Has the service been popular so far over fall break?

We did decently for fall break. We were anticipating bigger numbers, so we ended up cutting some of the shuttles we have scheduled. We’re expecting bigger numbers for thanksgiving break, however. A lot of students live in state and not as many out of state students leave for fall break, so there weren’t as many people utilizing the shuttle. We have seen a lot of early reservations for Thanksgiving break, so we’re really expecting it to take off then.

Will students be able to utilize this service over winter break? And are there plans to continue service into second semester?

We will have service over winter break. We haven’t put up the schedule yet, but once we take down the fall break times, we’ll shift it to thanksgiving and winter break. We’re expecting to run shuttles for every university break.  We might be covering Easter break, but we’re still figuring out the numbers, so we’re not sure.

As a student, do you feel like previous transportation options for students looking to get home were safe and convenient enough?

I feel like the university really leaves you on your own, especially when it comes to Christmas break – your U-Pass doesn’t even work anymore. What’s really cool about the LL express is that you can ride the shuttle with a bunch of people that you’re familiar with. It’s also way faster than the CTA, which takes an hour and a half to both Midway and O’Hare, and can be especially confusing for freshmen who aren’t familiar with the train system. And the train is always a little dodgy, and I feel like the university wasn’t looking out for students in terms of safety in that sense. On the shuttle, you know you’re being taken safely from point A to point B.

For more information about the LL express and to make a reservation, click here.

Uber on Strike: Drivers Protest Unfair Conditions

While ridesharing app Uber is a money saving alternative for many of us, drivers say its newest policies are cutting deep into their income.

Uber black car and SUV drivers in New York City have been on strike outside of the company’s Long Island office since Friday, calling on other drivers to to stop accepting rides from the app altogether, and in some cases, switch to rival ridesharing company Lyft. They’ve also organized on Facebook under a group called Uber Drivers Network NYC, using the social network to stay connected with other drivers and spread their message.

Check out the full story on the battle between ride sharing company Uber and its’ drivers on Storify.